Code Bat
by Kale12
Summary: A slightly crazed Batman, a reluctant princess, and the manic, meddling superheroes who love them. The course of true love never did run smooth...BMWW.
1. Code Bat in Progress

"Code Bat," he whispered, in a voice almost too deep and dark to belong to a usually jovial Wally West. The mood of the room changed instantly. Several junior members simply left their unfinished meals behind to seek sanctuary in their dormitory rooms – or rushed to the teleporters to get even further away. At a far corner, Hawkgirl and Black Canary exchanged looks of horror. The Green Lantern swore and tensed defensively. J'onn dropped his oreo. Superman rolled his eyes in an outward show of bravado, but even he could feel a prickle of unease.

The Flash stiffened suddenly, and zoomed to Shayera's side, peeking hesitantly from behind her wings. Sure enough, the doors swung open again and Batman strode in, cape swirling around him in a miasma of fear. An unlucky junior leaguer trembled as terror incarnate stalked by, nearly squeaking when the Bat stopped, whipping his head around to glare at the poor fool who dared cross his path. And then _growled_. Everyone in the vicinity ran like mad for the exit.

"Oh god oh god oh god oh god," chanted Wally, still clutching onto Thanagarian feathers. "Why _now_? What _happened_?"

"I don't know," answered John, shaking his head slowly. "I can't even remember the last Code we had."

Dinah frowned, running her fingers through her hair. "I think it was almost a year ago, but it doesn't make sense. They're still together...right?" she asked, looking around at her teammates. But she only got puzzled stares in return.

* * *

Batman had always been scary. Most people avoided him on a good day. He was stony and silent, giving nothing away, and holding himself always in the utmost reserve. Until a Themysciran princess joined the Justice League – and promptly got under his skin.

There were only the faintest signs, at first. Tiny changes in expression that would have meant nothing on anyone else, but spoke volumes from a man who seemed to be carved from granite. The tense hunch of his shoulders when she was around. The slightest upturn of the corner of his mouth when she laughed. The way he always looked to her first, in a meeting, in battle. The way his voice sounded just a touch lighter when they spoke. For awhile that was all, and the Founders watched as he relentlessly beat down her every overture of affection. She was stubborn, persistent, but even Amazons tire of the hunt, and so Wonder Woman decided to gracefully retire from the field of Bat-hunting.

To say Bruce was displeased with this decision was an understatement. Her new emotional distance confused him at first, but he assumed it would pass. Diana, however, had been perfectly resolved on her new course of action. She loved him, and likely always would, but she was too proud to tolerate his constant rejection. She threw herself into training and her duties as ambassador, and did her best not to look back.

Batman, on the other hand, began to lose it. He hadn't realized how much he counted on her light touches that burned through his armor, how bereft he would be now that her arms stayed firmly by her sides. He went home to Gotham feeling tired and dull; she never laughed with him (at him?) anymore. She didn't tease, didn't chatter on about her day, and he found himself eavesdropping on her conversations with others just to know what was going on in her life. Kal felt sorry for him, occasionally, and would throw him scraps.

"You can just ask me how she is, you know," said Clark, exasperated. Bruce had stopped by Metropolis for lunch and was currently attempting to use his most subtle interrogation tactics. Clark wasn't a talented reporter for nothing, though, and was having none of it.

"All I care about is that Wonder Woman continues to perform her Justice League duties effectively," answered Bruce brusquely, avoiding the pitying glance of his companion and wondering what it would take to believe the words that came out of his mouth.

* * *

It was Wally who coined the term 'Code Bat'.

Batman had stormed into a Founders' meeting, jaw clenched and fists curled destructively around that morning's edition of the Gotham Gazette. He ripped it open in front of Diana, slamming his fists down on either side.

"What the hell is this?" he snarled, looming over the woman seated coolly across from him, one leg crossed over the other. For her part, Diana simply turned her head to look at the picture in question before raising her eyes to meet his. Every inch a princess, haughty and regal, she held the silence for a full minute, while everyone around them held their breath.

"A photograph, Bruce," she finally deigned to reply.

"Don't play smart with me, princess."

The others began to wonder if Batman's fists were actually going to make it through the table.

"It's a picture of me. And Derek."

"Who's Derek!?" Bruce roared.

Diana didn't flinch. She shrugged her shoulders imperceptibly, raising an eyebrow in utter nonchalance. "He's the quarterback of the Gotham Giants. Don't you keep up with your city's sports at all?"

Bruce made a noise that made even Hawkgirl reach for her mace. When he spoke again, it was in a barely audible whisper so intense that the hair on everyone's neck rose instantly. "Who, princess," he asked softly, leaning closer and closer to the target, "is Derek to _you_?"

There were successive flashes of rage and satisfaction on Diana's face, followed by a devastatingly innocent smile. "My boyfriend," she answered sweetly, before leaning back in her chair and looking around at her teammates. "Shall we begin the meeting now?"

Batman ripped the newspaper in half before thundering out of the room. Distant crashes echoed back from the corridor, punctuated by the occasional scream.

"Shame," Diana said unperturbedly, smoothing out the tattered sheets of newsprint. "It quite was a nice picture, don't you think?"

No one quite knew how to answer. Superman finally broke the silence. "Uh, would someone mind, um, warning the rest of the Watchtower to perhaps…be a bit more cautious than usual around Batman today? And to perhaps stay away from the training rooms?"

"On it!" Wally volunteered. "This is better than TV!"

* * *

Back in the commissary, Superman groaned. "I'd forgotten how all of that started. Those next six months were horrible."

"Tell me about it!" agreed Shayera, fervently. "By the time he'd get himself under control she'd move on to the next guy."

Dinah chimed in, "Like when he found out about Tom Tressor?"

" No, Faraday was worse."

"Worse than Trevor?"

"What about that ice hockey guy?"

"Aquaman," stated Wally firmly. "Him finding out about Aquaman was the worst." Everyone around the table paused to consider before nodding their heads fervently in agreement. A few yards away, Batman was slamming down trays and muttering wildly.

"We had to convert two of the training rooms into makeshift medbays," remembered John, glumly.

"We were forced to ban him from the other training rooms," added J'onn.

"He had us doing 12 hour monitor shifts!" cried Shayera. "Over my dead body am I doing that again."

"But then it got better, remember?" said Dinah.

John snorted. "You mean when Bruce finally pulled his head out of his a- oh. Sorry, Boy Scout."

Superman just shook his head. "You're right; it was at the Embassy Ball."

Wally sighed dreamily, and looked indignant when his teammates merely stared at him. "What?!" he demanded. "It was romantic!"

* * *

It _had_ been romantic. In retrospect, at least. After the damages to the ballroom had been repaired, and the bruises had healed, and the newspapers finally stopped bringing up Bruce Wayne's rather unfortunate foray into international politics. Queen Hippolyta, however, would never fully forgive her daughter's suitor for besmirching the good name of Themyscira.

The ball had started off as quite the elegant affair, star-studded with high-ranking officials and billionaires. It might have ended that way, too, were it not for a few, minor details.

Like the several tumblers of whiskey that Bruce had polished off before even arriving.

Like the fact that Diana, swathed in white, gauzy material that clung to her long body, her black hair caught back in gold filigree, was undeniably the most magnificent creature he had ever seen in his life.

Like the rumors that abounded for weeks that the true reason for the ball was the announcement of her highness' engagement to the King of Atlantis, currently hulking by her side.

Like Bruce making full eye contact with the object of his not-so-secret obsession for the first time in weeks, and the stark realization that her eyes had never been so arresting, nor so full of sad longing.

Like Clark's momentary distraction by a waiter jostling his elbow, forcing him to take his eye off his charge.

In a matter of seconds, the King of Atlantis had been cold-clocked by the Prince of Gotham, and all hell broke loose. Glasses shattered, women screamed, and punches were thrown at random. Battle-ready Amazons leapt into action while a more conventional security team attempted to maintain order. In the commotion, no one noticed Bruce Wayne escaping into the night with a princess safely in his arms, looking thoroughly kissed and not at all unwilling.

* * *

Dinah, Wally, and Clark all sighed in unison, dreamy smiles on their faces. Shayera and John shared a look of faint disgust at the sight.

"Well, as tumultuous as their journey has been, I must admit that the last year or so since they found their way to one another has been pleasantly uneventful," said J'onn.

Indeed, years of furious tension had been sublimated into an astonishingly stable relationship. They respected each other's independence while still seeming to function as a unit. Loving and being loved grounded Diana, giving her a faint sheen of reserve that foreshadowed her queenly inheritance. Bruce, on the other hand, mellowed, giving him more control over the Bat. There were whispers that he even smiled, occasionally.

"No shit," retorted Hawkgirl. "No more unresolved sexual tension driving all of us crazy." She paused. "Though it's still kind of intense to be around them," she added as an afterthought. Dinah agreed, fanning herself in response.

"No more screaming matches," said J'onn.

"No more expensive damage to the Watchtower. Though since Batman's footing the bill, I guess he's allowed," added Kal.

"No more expensive damage to my psyche," said Wally firmly. "Do you know how much therapy that guy owes me?"

"That settles it, said Shayera firmly. "We can't go back to the way things were, we just can't!"

"But what can we do about it?" asked John. His eyes widened as he tracked Hawkgirl's stare to the black-costumed madman – the rodent of Hades, as Hippolyta called him – currently crushing a ceramic coffee mug into dust. The boiling hot coffee that had been it cascaded through his fingers, forming a puddle on the table that he didn't even seem to notice. "No. Absolutely not. I don't know about you guys, but I sure as hell don't have a death wish."

"We have to talk to him," argued Shayera. "We can help. I'm not spending 12 hour shifts in the monitor womb again. I won't do it, I tell you!" The note of hysteria in her voice was unmistakable.

"Shh," said Dinah soothingly, as she patted down a stray feather. "She's right, though. If something's wrong, maybe we can fix it. I mean, we are the Justice League, right? We've faced down Armageddon, for crying out loud. Now who wants to try talking to him?"

"Not it!" cried five voices in unison, fingers reaching up to the tips of their noses.

"Aw, shit," grumbled Lantern, hand barely raised from the table. "I hate you guys."

* * *

So begins my foray into the world of Justice League fanfic. Wish me luck. To be continued...


	2. A Bat and a Hard Place

John looked around at his teammates, fingers firmly on their noses, and let out a deep groan. Forty feet away, the Batman was steadily flicking a tiny acetylene torch on and off. He either didn't notice or didn't care about the proximity of the torch to a very full napkin holder perched on the table nearby.

"This is not a part of the job description, guys," Lantern grumbled before pushing up from the table and walking towards his quite-possibly-deranged colleague.

The rest of the table watched with bated breath as he sat down across from Batman, carefully avoiding the torch.

"Five bucks says GL's going to get sucker-punched," whispered Wally.

"Twenty says Bats backhands him with a tray," countered Shayera.

"I'm betting thirty on – shit! Why are they walking back this way?" cried Dinah.

The group tensed as John led Batman over to their table, guiding him to a seat before easing down next to him. Though the cowl obscured most of his face, Batman's jaw was rough and unshaven. His shoulders drooped unevenly, and his cape was crooked. His teammates were utterly bewildered. They had dealt with a wrathful Batman, an obsessive Batman, and most terrifying of all, a happy Batman, but they had never come face to face with the horror of a disheveled Batman. They hadn't even believed it existed.

Finally Superman, after hoping in vain that _somebody_ for once would take a little initiative, cleared his throat before questioning his friend. "Is...everything alright, Batman?"

No reply.

"Is Alfred ok?"

Still nothing.

"How's Diana?" Kal pressed on, and at last succeeded in getting a response.

Bruce turned his head to look at Superman for a full minute before dropped his masked head into his hands.

Dinah clucked in disapproval. "Did you guys get in a fight? Seriously Bruce, what did you do this time? Did you yell at her on patrol again?"

"You dumped her, didn't you?" asked Wally anxiously. "Is she crying her poor little star-spangled heart out somewhere? I should go comfo- ow! Shayera! Watch it." Wally rubbed the back of his head gingerly while Hawkgirl glared.

"I sincerely doubt that's the case," said Kal, with a stern look. "I think after all they've been through we're more likely to expect an engagement than a break-up, right Bruce?"

Batman let out a strangled noise and mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?' asked Superman, who even with his enhanced hearing was having trouble making out the words.

Bruce lifted his head slowly, and when he spoke, his voice was heavy and hoarse. "I asked her to marry me."

"But that's great news!"

"You're not getting cold feet, already, are you?"

"Yeah! Put a ring on it, Brucie!"

"No!" shouted Batman, slamming his head down onto the table. They all winced as he looked back up at them. "I asked her to marry me, and she said no."

* * *

They had been lying in bed one morning, sunlight just beginning to slip in between the cracks of the heavy curtains. He'd woken up entangled in her long, long limbs, her back pressed to his chest, messy midnight hair spilling everywhere. They often awoke this way. Diana preferred to sleep unencumbered, so he would wait until she fell asleep (she always fell asleep first) before pulling her close. He'd slept alone since he was a child, and yet his body couldn't help but reach for her. He leaned forward to kiss her shoulder, and watched as she blinked up at him, eyes heavy-lidded with sleep, mouth a soft, sweet curve. She was always warm in his arms, but that morning she seemed to burn him, a live coal, the center of a star, a fire in winter.

"Morning," she breathed out, nestling herself deeper in his arms.

"Marry me," he replied. He hadn't expected to say it, but now that he'd given it shape, he had no desire to take it back. It was a good choice. A strong decision.

She only smiled and kissed his arm where it lay heavy across her shoulders. "Not today, love," she said, before promptly falling asleep again.

* * *

"She just went back to sleep?" asked Dinah in disbelief.

"Did she bring it up later? Maybe she thought it was a dream?" wondered Flash.

"She didn't bring it up again," Batman admitted glumly. "At first I thought it was a good thing, and that I could come up with a better proposal."

"Did you?" asked John warily.

"…yes."

"And?"

* * *

This time, he had enlisted Alfred's help. Dinner, candles, flowers, and a ring. Unfortunately, by the end of the night, there was still no fiancée.

"But Bruce," she had pleaded, "We're happy; we spend almost every night together, I love you more than anything, and I know you feel the same. You already know better than to doubt my loyalty. What would getting married really accomplish?"

For once in his life, Bruce was motivated more by emotions than logic, and therefore couldn't formulate an adequate response. He knew what he wanted, but he didn't know why.

* * *

"That was a month ago," said Batman, mashing a stray grape to a pulp. "I've proposed every day since. I've taken her out to dinner, picnics, sailing to Wayne Island –"

"How come we've never been invited to Wayne Island?" demanded Wally. "We could have planned a slammin' company retreat."

"- I even slipped a marriage certificate in the middle of some League paperwork," he finished, staring off morosely into the distance.

Superman had to use every ounce of restraint he had not to roll his eyes in exasperation. "Please don't tell me you actually thought that would work."

"…"

"The woman has a _lasso of truth._"

"…"

"What part of 'lasso of truth' do you not under-"

"I was desperate!" Batman protested, despair creeping into his voice. "_Am_ desperate. I just don't know what to do…she won't – she just doesn't want me."

Dinah raised an arm just slightly as though she were going to hug the Dark Knight before realizing who she was reaching for and quickly thought better of it. She settled for patting him awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Bruce?" she started hesitantly. "Have you tried actually talking to Diana about how you feel?"

"…no," he admitted. "I thought I would have worn her down by now."

"Look, Batman," said Shayera. "Between your 'I am vengeance' shtick – "

"I am!"

"Hush. What I'm trying to say is that we understand that you have a little trouble, er, expressing your feelings. "

"Look who's talking," muttered John.

"Excuse me?" asked Shayera, surveying the Lantern with narrowed eyes.

"You heard me," he answered, looking around for a quick escape.

Luckily J'onn interrupted smoothly before weapons emerged. "I think Hawkgirl brings up an excellent point. The sort of emotional vulnerability you must display in order to achieve your goal is equal parts frightening and necessary."

"That's right, Batman," Superman continued. "But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. Let us help."

Batman looked around at his teammates. The Bat wanted to refuse. Was dying to storm away and brood on a rooftop away from the horribly sympathetic faces looking up at him expectantly. But Bruce wanted, needed, _longed_ for his woman to be _his_ woman. And so Bruce sighed and nodded. "Alright. What do I need to do?"

"Well, first," said Wally gleefully, "let's talk about feelings."

Batman looked like he wanted to smash the table into tiny, tiny pieces.

The Flash only waggled his finger. "Nuh uh, Bats. No takebacks. We've got a princess to win."

* * *

This is slowly spinning out of my control. I didn't realize the road from ficlet to multi-chapter could be so...tempting. Stay with me?


	3. The Flash, Froyo, and Fairy Tales

"Alright, Wally, what's going on?" Diana stood on the sidewalk outside of a Central City frozen yogurt store, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. The redhead next to her just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

"What, a guy can't get some fro-yo with his best gal? What flavor did you get? Can I try some?"

"Pomegranate, it's delici- no, no. Stop distracting me. As much as I love hanging out with you –"

"- duh. I'm _awesome_."

"- I'm not sure what exactly was so urgent that I needed to trade monitor duty just to come get lunch? Give me a bite of yours before you inhale it all. Chocolate? Mmmm."

Wally sighed as he held out what was left of his dessert. "Walk with me, princess. All in good time." Hoping Bats was watching (it was Bats, _of course_ he was watching), he linked his arm through hers and stood a little closer than necessary. He was pretty sure Bruce would attempt to assassinate him later, but he couldn't resist baiting the World's Greatest Stalker. Wally wasn't sure if Diana fully realized the extent of her boyfriend's Fatal Attraction tendencies. Though now that he thought about it, she probably thought it was sweet. Poor Wondy – growing up on an island full of women totally screwed up her taste in dudes.

Diana only rolled her eyes as the Flash not-so-subtly pulled her closer, knowing it was for Bruce's benefit. She was well aware that her lover was perhaps just a tad overzealous when it came to her safety, but she was truth incarnate – privacy was kind of a loose concept. Besides, a slightly jealous Bruce meant extra attention after he got home from patrol. Maybe even before he left, if she was lucky.

The two meandered past the Central City Central Zoo, the Central City Central Fountain, and the Central City Central Bank before stopping at the Central City Central Park (Flash loved his city, but it left a little something to be desired when it came to creativity). The weather was lovely – the sun was shining gently, and a cool breeze rippled through the droves of happy citizens that had come out to enjoy the day. There were families, teenagers, but most notably, there were couples. Young and old, kissing, holding-hands, sometimes even bickering.

Diana watched with some interest before turning back to her friend. "Alright, Wally, this is all very, er, romantic…but surely you didn't bring me out just to gawk at lovebirds in the park?"

"Well, actually…"

"I don't understand."

Wally shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Look, so I know you've spent a lot of time in Man's world now, and you know what's what, but I think you kind of missed out on some stuff that the rest of us plebeians learned in high school."

"Like kissing? Because I've had plenty of practice with that, if that's what you're worried about."

Wally nearly dropped his jaw and sincerely wished he could figure out just how serious she was being, but Diana wasn't a skilled diplomat for nothing. "No! I mean, yes, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that people in relationships here like to show 'em off, you know? That's why they hold hands, and wear each other's jewelry. Like engagement rings!"

Diana looked at him shrewdly. "You are a good warrior, Wally. You are brave, and you have skill. But I'm afraid we must work on your subtlety."

"Look," said Wally sheepishly. "I'm just saying, Bruce might be a grumpy, obsessive-compulsive psychopath most of the time, but at the end of the day he's a guy who loves his lady. And I know he's really bad at the PDA, but part of him still wants to show you off."

"I hate to sound trite, my friend, but I'm not some prize to show off."

The Flash sighed. "I know, Di, but that's not exactly what I mean. You're this really awesome woman, and any guy would be wicked lucky to call you _his_ woman, and Bruce knows that. He's really proud that he gets to be that lucky guy. And in our world, this is kind of how we express it."

"By announcing our relationship to everybody and anybody?"

"Yeah, but it's more than that. This is our way of telling you that he knows how good he's got it, and that he'll always remember that, for the rest of his life."

Diana was thoughtful, but still slightly frustrated. "But why mess with his public persona? I know how he feels, and that's enough for me. Claiming each other publicly seems so…garish."

"Di. The guy wants to share everything with you. The Bat, the Bruce, and the Billionaire-idiot. He's trying to let you into every part of his life. And maybe it's ok that a little part of him wants other people to know that he got the girl. The happily ever after. You may be a real life Princess, Di, but Batman's the one who needs the fairy tale."

They walked in comfortable silence for awhile. As much as he wanted to keep talking, the Flash figured Diana needed a little to time to think.

"So," she said finally. "Can I ask how on earth _you_ got involved in this? Because you might be campaigning on his behalf, but I'm fairly certain Bruce can't be happy about it."

"Oh, he's not," Wally replied cheerfully. "Positively hates that we're poking our noses in."

"We?"

"Yep. There was a Code Bat yesterday while you were off-world. Expect a few more enlightening conversations heading your way."

Diana laughed softly. "Thank you for the warning."

"Anytime. If we can convince you to put him out of his misery, then maybe we'll stop losing new recruits so fast."

"I make no promises, Wally," she warned. "But seeing as Bruce is somewhat less than adept in discussing matters of the heart, I'll listen to what arguments you can make in his stead."

"That's all we ask, Di. Wanna get some more fro-yo before we have to report back in?"

"We just had some!"

"Do you or do you not have an Amazonian metabolism, woman?"

"…ok."

"Excellent."

They retraced their steps. Somewhere, a Bat looked on, feeling a little less hopeless.

* * *

Bless your heart, Wally. Looks like I've committed myself to a few more conversations - these Justice Leaguers can be pretty persuasive.


	4. Soldiers, Knights, and Lovers

As always, don't own. I just like words.

* * *

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

The crowd gathered around an exquisite redhead who was currently, and handily, drinking her bedraggled opponent under the table. The poor man lifted his shot glass and took one boozy, bleary look before pitching backwards off his barstool. The throng of bar patrons, nearly all of them in fatigues, cheered loudly, but couldn't quite drown out the triumphant "Who's next?!" bellowing forth from a rather flushed Thanagarian.

Several tables away, John and Diana merely shook their heads in a mix of pride and disbelief.

"This is how you spend your Saturday nights?"

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Di. Do you know how much money I've made off of her?"

Diana looked aghast. "Does she know you're gambling on her?"

"Know?" John snorted. "It was her damn idea."

A large _thump_ echoed in the background amidst cheers as another challenger hit the floor. Shayera cackled.

"Your woman scares me, John."

"Me, too."

The two sipped their drinks in companionable silence – a scotch on the rocks for the Lantern, a dark beer for the princess that made her think of rough hewn practice swords, of sweat and salt. Both were in civilian clothes. Every once in awhile a soldier would come up to John to say hello, reminisce, or congratulate him for finding a woman who could hold her drink. He'd served with some of them, or with their brothers or their friends. At any rate, Diana enjoyed watching the easy camaraderie of men willing to die for each other. It was something she herself missed about her home – long summers running in formation alongside her sisters, getting up before dawn to fight and train.

"Is Bruce planning to drop by?" John asked, hoping he sounded casual.

Diana shook her head. "I doubt it. He'll be starting patrol soon. Besides, I'm not sure this is really his scene." She paused, taking a sip of her drink. "He's not really a soldier, you know. Not like you or me or Shayera."

The Lantern nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. I guess he really does take that knight thing to heart."

Diana laughed. "Yes, he doesn't, doesn't he? He has a castle, a noble steed - "

"Has he let you drive that thing yet?"

"The Batmobile? His _baby_?" Diana asked in mock outrage. "Not a chance. Believe me, I've wheedled, coaxed, bargained…_nothing_. He turned down a Myrmidion double-headed battle axe, and he's been coveting that thing for years."

John swirled the tumbler in his hand and eyed his colleague slyly. "Maybe you just haven't found the right bargaining chip."

"What could be more enticing than good weaponry?"

"Well," he said. "You could always give in and agree to marry the guy."

"John!" Diana protested. "Are you telling me to agree to marry Bruce in exchange for Batmobile-privileges?"

"Di, _I'd_ marry the guy if it meant I could drive that machine."

"Hera, perhaps you should. Maybe then he'd stop asking me to prove myself." There was a touch of bitterness in the princess' voice that startled the Lantern.

"Is that what you think he's asking you to do?" John asked.

Diana looked away, troubled. "Isn't it? He has my loyalty, but he does not seem to value my word."

John reached out to place a solid hand on her shoulder, waiting until she turned back to meet his gaze. "Diana, let me ask you something. You call yourself a warrior, right?"

"Of course," she answered with pride.

"Do you believe that all of us fighting the good fight – soldiers, knights, Amazons, Marines...do you believe that they are all men and women of honor? Even if they have different codes?"

"What a ridiculous question, John. How could I possibly not value my brothers and sisters who fight with me?"

"Now, I know it seems a little silly to you, but marriage to a guy like Bruce _is_ a point of honor. It's how he does right by you."

"He's hardly the sentimental sort, John," Diana snorted.

"I know, I know. But you can't come from old money and be raised by an English butler without being a little old-fashioned."

"Alfred's been leaving bridal magazines all over the manor," Diana admitted glumly. "He keeps telling me I'd make 'a lovely winter bride'."

"…"

"I don't know what that means, either. And I'm honestly afraid to ask."

Later that night, Shayera stretched out in the booth, head on Diana's shoulder, while John collected their winnings and said his goodbyes.

Diana watched her friend watch John, and suddenly felt a question forming in her throat. She let the words coalesce slowly, waiting patiently as she decided what to say, and if she should say it at all.

"Does it make you feel lesser somehow, to need him, Shay?"

The Thanagarian focused her full attention on the princess. Her eyes were sharp and clear despite the drink, though her words were slow. "It did once," she admitted. "I felt weak. Hated it."

"What changed?"

"I did, I guess. Maybe just the way I was thinking about it. He's a part of me now. It would be like hating myself for needing my wings." Her voice was low and warm.

Diana bit her lip and looked down at her hands. Large, calloused hands that looked just like her mother's. Amazon hands made for battle and hearth, not for being held in the crook of a man's arm. "How far, though? How far am I allowed to stray before I can't call myself an Amazon anymore?"

"Would you still name me Thanagarian, Diana?" Shayera asked softly.

Diana bowed her head. "I…yes. That is what you are, in spirit if not in practice. You have taken the best traits of your race and acted according to your own ideals. You are a credit to them, even if the name feels more like a curse than praise." She paused. "I suppose one would say the same of me."

"Yes," Shayera agreed. "But we're both more and less. You're just as much human as you are woman. You're as much a lover as you are an Amazon. And at the end of the day, you've sworn to fight for truth and love. Not against them." With that she closed her eyes and curled in further, as though the last flash of lucidity had been all she could handle.

Hardly a surprise, Diana thought, surveying the near-empty hall before her.

"This is cozy." His voice hit her harder than anything she'd drank throughout the night. She looked up at the face she loved, wondering how something so familiar could bring so much joy.

"Bruce!" she said happily. "What are you doing here?"

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple before sliding in beside her. Shayera didn't stir. "Thought I'd come see how much damage she did. I've got a stake in it, you know."

"You, too?"

"Yep," said John as he walked up to them. "Pretty tidy sum, though maybe not by billionaire standards."

Bruce grinned. "I didn't get to be a billionaire by ignoring good opportunities – no matter how small they seem."

"Fair enough. I'd ask you to stay for another round, but I think I better get our prizewinner home." John looked down at the woman frowning even in sleep. For such a hard man, the expression of tenderness suited him well.

Bruce waved him off as they began collecting their things. "Go on. I was really just hoping Diana would walk me home. It's dangerous out there for a man by himself. Never know what's lurking in the street."

Diana laughed. "So you've come seeking my protection, o fragile mortal?"

"Always, princess. You hold my life in your hands." The barest smirk belied the solemnity of his speech, but not their sincerity.

"Then I shall try to be worthy of your faith in me," she replied lightly, letting him take her hand as walked out into the lamp-lit night.


	5. Tag, you're it!

The roof began to crash down around her – a veritable torrent of half-destroyed slabs and splintered beams came at her from all sides. She just barely dodged a jagged edge of concrete when a twenty foot metal girder swung out at her so fast there was only a hum in the air and a low chuckle to warn her. Though it wasn't enough, it turned out. The girder connected with her abdomen – knocking every molecule of air from her body as she hurled through the last unbroken skylight.

She'd be picking glass out of her hair for days.

She allowed herself exactly 3 seconds to get her body back under control, and came to a halt mid-air before barreling right back through the hole she'd made, and directly into the solid body of her opponent. Both gravity and her own staggering power were at her disposal, and he wasn't prepared for the force of impact. Instead they smashed through floor after floor, the walls rapidly caving in behind them, unable to resist the meta-induced vortex.

Later, Diana would think of it as her own peculiar rabbit hole – she'd been branching out beyond the Greco-Roman classics and found Alice to be quite charming – but during those few seconds she was robbed of any ability to think, to breathe, to see. The only sense left to her was the roar of a collapsing building that seemed to go on and on until it suddenly didn't.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the Watchtower infirmary. The low groan to her right confirmed that Kal had been teleported up with her. She met his pained expression with a wide grin.

"Why in Rao's name do I always let you talk me into this?"

Diana stretched her arms out, inspecting the cuts and bruises blooming under the skin. "Because you have just as much fun as I do, you just don't like to admit it."

It was an old game, one they'd made up long ago before the Watchtower provided them with suitable places to spar. Back then they'd search out abandoned warehouses, or buildings marked for demolition. The sites became playgrounds of a sort, ones for metahumans who rarely got to indulge in a childish lack of restraint. And as finely trained as she was, as much as she was taught to prize skill and technique, there was something marvelous about getting to smash things with abandon.

"You are going to give me a heart attack with all the fun you have sometimes," a voice commented dryly, and Diana and Kal looked up sheepishly at the less-than-amused Martian looming over them, arms crossed over his chest.

"All those _Oreos_ you eat are going to give you a heart attack, J'onn, not us," Diana replied cheekily.

"Ugh, I don't know about his heart, but my head feels like it got hit with a small planet." Superman was feeling his scalp gingerly. "I think you finally broke me."

"You're just mad because I beat you," Diana said smugly.

"Beat me?" Clark gasped. "You cheated! You kept going after I drew first blood!"

"_I_ cheated? You sucker-punched me in the stomach with half a ton of metal!"

"You threw me through a marble fountain!"

"I'm telling Lois!"

"Yeah, well I'm telling Bruce!"

"I'm telling Ma Kent!"

"I'm telling ALFRED!"

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me!"

"CHILDREN."

They snapped to attention. J'onn looked a little weary. "To think I once believed that your respective partners were the difficult ones. I think my sympathies lay more and more with Bruce and Lois."

"At least Lois knows where I stand," Clark muttered.

Diana turned to him sharply. "What did you say, Kal?"

Kal had the good grace to look a little ashamed. "It's nothing, Diana, I'm sorry."

"It's _not_ nothing. You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it." She looked at him fiercely, daring him to explain himself.

Clark looked uneasy, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "It's just, you're not really making it easy on him, Diana. He _loves_ you –"

" – as I love him – "

" – and you won't even consider his proposal!"

"How dare you! Do you think I'm not tempted every time he asks? That it doesn't hurt me to say no?"

"Then why do you?"

"Really, Kal? Do you of all people have to ask? How do we pledge ourselves to people whose definition of eternity is so different from ours? We won't age with them, our bodies won't break down. We'll never get to share that humanity with them."

"Come now, Diana. We're in the superhero business. We know how fleeting life can be."

"Death in battle, I understand. But aging? I knew nothing of brittle bones until I came to Man's World. I had so little experience of fragility."

"But you've learned."

"But what if it's not enough?" Diana looked anguished. "I wasn't raised to be as human as you, Kal. My life is practically a myth. What if I'm not human enough for him? He can put away the cape and cowl and be Bruce, but I'll still be one of the goddesses he doesn't believe in, a superhuman that he won't be able to connect with anymore."

"Diana." It was J'onn who found his voice first. "When people look at you and say _superhuman_, they are not talking about your strength, or your ability to fly. They say superhuman because that is what you are in the truest sense of the word – you are humanity amplified."

Clark put an arm around her gently. "J'onn's right, you know. You're our heart and soul. And more importantly, you're Bruce's heart and soul. You drive each other crazy, and if that isn't human, I don't know what is."

"Superman is correct, my friend. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that love requires only a willing heart. Do you think me unworthy of the love of my very human wife? Or unable to reciprocate as she deserves?"

"Of course not, J'onn. The two of you are wonderful together."

"Then why do you doubt yourself? You have great gifts of empathy, compassion, and love. They will not forsake you."

"And neither will we," Clark said firmly, before continuing more softly. "I love Lois, but I'm scared of the future, too, Diana. We didn't choose an easy path, but I feel better knowing I'll have my closest friends with me every step of the way."

Diana let herself smile a little. "Thank you. Thank you both."

"Anytime," said Clark. "I'm just sorry it took us crashing through a building to have this conversation."

"The proverbial ton of bricks, perhaps?" suggested J'onn.

"I don't think we need to take it quite so literally next time," said Diana, while Clark nodded fervently in agreement.

J'onn busied himself wrapping up some of the worst of the cuts, though neither meta truly needed it.

"Just out of curiosity, what does Lois say about the two of you aging differently?" asked Diana.

Clark shrugged and rolled his eyes. "She says it'll save her the trouble of leaving me to become a cougar when she's forty."

* * *

Sorry, no Bruce in this one. I have a soft spot for Kal and Diana. Super-besties!


	6. Enough

Nothing about this story ended up quite the way I expected it to, frankly. Nonetheless, to those of you still reading this bit of nonsense, I thank you deeply. I apologize for the length, but more felt too...treacly. Toying with the idea of an epilogue.

* * *

"I've lived quite a few places, you know."

Bruce said nothing. He knew she had sensed him, had sensed him as soon as he dropped down onto the balcony behind her. He also knew her body would not betray this knowledge with movement; she was one of the few who did not flinch on his arrival. It was a secret relief to him that she never would.

"Apartments, embassies, cities around the world. A myriad of dwelling-places and still there is a restlessness that I have never been able to leave behind."

She remained standing with her back to him, arms taut and bare on the marble balustrade. He found himself unable to step closer, or do anything that might break the dark, rich cadence of her voice in the clear night.

"I thought it was the exile, that if I could only get back to Themyscira, then I would feel whole again. But I was wrong. I went back and I didn't belong there, either. I don't belong anywhere."

"You belong with me."

"I don't."

"You belong with me, Diana."

"I _won't_."

His chest constricted. "Don't be cruel, princess," he said, pulling off his cowl. She turned to face him, then, anguished yet utterly untouchable in the cool, silvery moonlight. There was a glittering city behind her, and a dense canopy of stars overhead, but both seemed to exist solely to frame this maddening, magnificent creature who seemed bent on carving out his beating heart.

She glided towards him, a hand reaching out to cradle his face. He turned his head and pressed his lips to her palm once, twice.

"Forgive me," he whispered, and before she could react, Bruce grabbed her lasso from where it hung at her hip and looped it around her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she asked, outraged.

"Goddammit, Diana, we both know it shouldn't have come to this, but I'm not going to sit back and play fair if you won't. I can't take another month like this."

"What do you want from me?" she cried.

"Just talk to me," he answered. "Be forthcoming with me. I've never had to ask you that before."

"It's a taste of your own medicine," she said sharply, making to pull away.

Bruce felt a pang even as he tightened his grip on her wrist, knowing it was a largely futile gesture. "Is this all just punishment then? Does it matter at all to you how far I've come? I've served my soul to you on a platter, princess. Maybe you've decided you don't want it after all, but don't deny that I've done my best to give you everything you've asked of me."

She couldn't meet his eyes, chose instead to look past him. "Fine," she said. "Let's talk."

"Do you love me?"

"Bruce!"

"Answer the question."

"Yes, you insufferable oaf. How can you even ask that?"

"Then why won't you say yes? You want a home, Diana? I want to give you Gotham. I want to give you the manor. I want to give you a home with Alfred and the boys and if that's not enough, I'll buy houses in every city in the world until you find a place to call home."

"At what price?" The words seemed to have been ripped from her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bruce snapped.

"Everything costs something, Bruce. I can't set who I am aside to play lady of the manor."

"Why would I even ask you to?"

There was a blur of movement, and he suddenly found the lasso looped over both their arms.

"Can you honestly tell me that your insistence this last month has had nothing to do with your parents?"

He thought better of protesting. "Every choice I've made, I've made in honor of their memory. And it's…true. I think about it sometimes," he admitted. "Taking up their legacy a different way. Being a man more like my father, with a life like his."

"You could still have that."

"I could," he agreed easily, while lifting up their linked hands. "But then I wouldn't have this."

Diana shut her eyes tightly. "I want to say yes, Gods help me, I do. But I'm not ready yet." She opened her eyes and looked at him with a tenderness that ached. "I like being my own woman too much, I like having things and places that are mine alone. I need more time to reconcile my upbringing to the life I lead now."

Bruce said nothing, only traced the long line of her forearm with a single finger.

"But Bruce," she said quietly. "Know this. Nowhere do I feel as whole as I do then when I'm by your side. Be patient with me just a little while longer, and I'll bind myself to you happily. Can that be enough for now?"

He looked once into her eyes before shaking the lasso to the ground. He took both her hands in his and kissed her mouth gently. "Yes, princess. That can be enough."


End file.
